After stints at Ogilvy, VML, and Publicis, senior creative team Katelyn Testa and Anais Read have added their creative clout to HERO’s. Initially brought in as freelancers during a busy pitch period, the pair quickly became indispensable. As HERO creative chairman, Ben Lilley, stated, “They were so brilliant, we didn’t want to let them go.”
The duo first met at Publicis Worldwide in Brisbane before formally linking up as a creative team at Ogilvy Melbourne. Their creative resumé includes two decades of combined experience at networks and indies across Australia and NZ, including Grand Prix wins from Cannes Lions to 30 Under 30 and a healthy appetite for humour in their work.
Ben Lilley commented, “We’ve had a busy few months of pitches and first brought on KT and Anais as freelancers in August to help out. They were so brilliant, we didn’t want to let them go! We just kept on extending their contracts week after week until we started to convert some of the pitches. We’re just so happy to bring them on permanently. Anais and KT are a true dream team.”
Read added, “The culture at HERO is unlike other agencies. You walk through the doors and are hit in the face with a blast of tangerine. By day two, it’s grown on you. And by week two, you’re completely under its spell. Ben, Shane and the HERO team have created an environment bursting with energy, momentum, creativity and empathy. We’re ready to rip in.”
Born in Aotearoa, Read has won national and international awards, spoken on industry panels, and judged shows like the 30 Under 30 Awards, Women in Media Awards, and the Women Leading Tech Awards. She spends her time outside the 9-5 as National Creative Lead for Assisterhood – Australia and Aotearoa’s leading industry mentorship program for underrepresented people in communications.
Testa’s creative prowess includes agency experience in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, a strong award form and an innovative, digital-first approach to her work. Originally from regional Victoria where creativity and the arts lack representation, Testa’s passion sees her lecturing and mentoring students from disadvantaged backgrounds at a secondary school and university level across the state.
Testa commented, “As a gamer who was once told that girls don’t play video games, to seeing Maybelline’s Through Their Eyes campaign standing up for female gamers in the industry press, I knew HERO challenged stereotypes and took creativity seriously. I feel immediately at home among Anais and Kean, as well as some familiar faces from my Leo Burnett days.”
Read and Testa have also tutored AWARD School, spent time on Youngbloods committees, and guest lectured at universities across several states.
The pair join a new wave of hires, incuding Susan Young as creative director; senior art director, Kean Szczur – and a period of significant momentum. This year the agency was Australian Agency of the Year at the 2025 WINA (World Independent Advertising) Awards, where it also became the first Australian agency to rank in the global Top 10, placing sixth overall. HERO collected a Grand Prix for its Toyota C-HR Diamond Collection (which also picked up Bronze at Spikes Asia) and its instax Mindography campaign for Fujifilm earned Silver at the 2025 Spikes Asia Awards, Bronze at AdFest, and shortlists at D&AD, One Show and Cannes Lions. HERO was also top-ranked Australian independent in last week’s One Asia Awards, with two Silvers and Bronze for its innovative AI-powered Transit Tales for Mastercard.
